Fare-box for omnibuses



J. B. SLAW-SON, OF NEV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

FARE-BOX FOR OMNIBUSES, &o.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,372, dated August 31, 1858.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, J. B. SnAwsoN, of New Grleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fare-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l represents an isometrical per -spective view of a fare box with my improvement applied to it and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section of the same.

Since the method of preventing fraud on proprietors of public conveyances, by means of fare boxes constructed on the plan as patented to me on the 28th day of July 1857, which Letters Patent here surrendered and reissued on the 4th day of May 1858, has come into more general use, great inconvenience has been often experienced, on account that the passengers traveling on the top of the stage, are under the necessity of passing ,their fare to the inside passengers in orderto have it deposited in the fare box; which not only causes much delay but is a source of much inconvenience and trouble to the inside passengers, to obviate which is the object of my present improvement and its nature consists in so constructing and arranging the fare box that the passengers on the outside are enabled as well as those inside to deposit their fare directly into the box.

Toenable others skilled in the art to make, construct and use my improvement I will now proceed to describe it in detail.

In the accompanying" drawing my' improvement is represented as being applied to the impro-ved fare box of I. S. Reeves patented February 23, 1858, and issued to me as his assignee, but it can be applied to any other operating on this principle. In this case the whole of the lower part of the box, that is to say the receiving chamber (A), slide (ce), spring (ZJ) and receiving drawer (B), is the same as that of Reeves, my present improvement being represented as combined with them, for which purpose two other glass plates (d and cl) are so arranged as that they sha-ll communicate with the two glass plates (c and 0') below, which form the sides of the receiving chamber, and with the outside of the omnibus; they for this purpose being properly secured by being let into grooves, formed on the underside of the top and sides of the box, the

outer one (d) being also let into the cross bar (C) which connects it with the outer plate (c) of the lower set of plates, the inner upper plate (CZ) resting in this instance upon the top of the corresponding plate (0) of the lower set. These plates (el and fl) need not necessarily be made of glass, but of any other suitable material; but the former is better as they give more light enabling the driver and passengers better to scrutinize the money deposited. The plates (d and fZ) having been thus arranged, an opening is cut through the top of the box (or top of the stage as the case may be) of such shape as to enable the passengers outside to deposit their fare into the box, which as it is dropped in is guided by the plates (d and fZ) into the chamber (A) below where it is temporarily arrested by the apron (c) for the purpose of enabling the driver to scrutinize the character of the money, and to see that the full amount of the fare has been deposited, which if satisfactory he (the driver) then allows it to drop into the receiving drawer (B) beneath by withdrawing the slide or apron from beneath it, after which he again closes the passage by loosening the strap allowing the spring (ab) to force the slide baclr over the passage But as the rain, dust, &c., would run in and lill up the box, were the opening merely made in the top of the box, I remedy this by securing a` block (D) over the top of the opening through which a slot is cut connecting with the opening into the boxtthe upper end of this slot is widened or beveled outward so as to form a receptacle or hopper for the reception and guidance of the fare into the slot, and thence to the receiving chamber beneath. In this case the slot and hopper is represented as being lined with a metallic Acasing (e) the lower part (f) of which projects downward for some distance into the channel formed by the two upper glass plates (eZ and cl). Over the hopper (gf) is arranged a heavy metallic cover to shield it from the rain and dust, for which purpose it is made to project over the hopper block (D) for a considerable distance. This cover is hinged on the side next to the rear of the stage, to two standards (F and F) erected for that purpose on the top of the box at a suitable distance in rear of the hopper block (D) a bar (g) being mounted above the cover, and sufficiently far in advance of its hinge arrested previous to being deposited in the receiving drawer beneath for the purpose 15 set forth.

2. I claim the arrangement of the passage block (D) and cover (E) over the opening in the top of the fare boX for the purposes described. y

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand to this specification.

J. B. SLAVVSON.

Witnesses:

ROBT. M. LUTHER, A. R. JENNINGS. 

